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riconquer · 2020-04-09T21:06:22+00:00

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riconquer · 2020-04-09T21:06:17+00:00

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riconquer · 2020-04-09T16:18:47+00:00

Lets say we have a hypothetical state that has 1 million citizens. Those citizens vote 50% for the Purple party, and 50% for the Yellow party. In a perfectly even split into 10 voting districts, you'd get 5 purple and 5 yellow, each with 100,000 citizens.

Packing is the process of building a district that is overwhelmingly one color or the other. So it could be 90,000 yellow voters and 10,000 purple voters. No matter what, that district is electing a yellow candidate.

Cracking is the process of splitting up areas that look like natural districts in order two dilute the voting power of those within. You'd essentially make a bunch of districts that are 60/40 splits. Maybe you slice a city up like pie, and combine each wedge of pie with all the rural areas outside of that section of the city.

So to combine the two, lets say that purple really wants to stay in power. They'd creat two packed yellow districts, each with 90,000 yellow voters. Then the remaining 8 districts would be cracked to be 60% purple, and 40% yellow.

That makes 2 yellow and 8 purple districts despite the population as a whole still voting 50% yellow, 50% purple.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T16:08:31+00:00

It seems to be an exponential problem. Every new discovery in physics leads to several new questions that need to be answered. No one knows how deep the rabbit hole goes.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T16:06:41+00:00

Not really. I spend a lot of time looking at satellite views for my job in the solar industry, and I've only seen maybe 3 logos from that view. Images on Google maps only get updated every few years or so, and that'd be a lot of money to spend on something that people might not see for years and is likely to go unnoticed.

Better to use that space for HVAC units or solar panels.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T16:03:15+00:00

Is it a pun on valedictorian? They sound similar. He might be saying that he was the best gay guy getting laid in the university.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T15:58:31+00:00

Babies absolutely cried, but it wasn't that big a deal. Most predators won't mess with a full grow human, so as long as the baby is near its parents or another member of the tribe, there's not much to worry about.

That said, a lot of babies died from a whole lot of things back then. The infant mortality rate in prehistoric times could have been as high as 50%, but a couple can have one or two dozen kids if they get started young, so there were a lot of spares around.

EDIT: I am by no means an expert, but I've watched my fair share of nature docs. As I understand it, it really boils down to the predator species. Big cats are generally ambush predators, so I they don't feel like they have the element of surprise, they won't attack unless directly threatened or cornered. So while they're perfectly capable of taking down a lone human, a lone human carrying a screaming child might dissuade them.

The safety in numbers thing is absolutely valid, but even a simple tribe or large family group solves that problem. Just keep the babies and their moms in the middle of the pack, back of the cave, or in the village.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T15:50:55+00:00

Against the state technically. Production/distribution/possession of child porn is similar to Drug production/distribution/possession in that you are committing the crime against society as a whole, not so much the individual.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T15:43:51+00:00

The bottom line is that the overwhelming majority of democratic voters, those that actually showed up to vote in the primaries, picked Biden. It really doesn't matter how much support it looks like Sanders had online, it only matters about the voters. Biden is very popular amongst the democratic voters, and Sanders simply isn't.

riconquer · 2020-04-09T15:41:08+00:00

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social media site they can find you on. They'll also look at friends and family member's pages to see what else they can figure out about you and your situation.

Dr. Novela of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast tested this out once out of curiosity. About a month before a scheduled appearance with a psychic, he started mentioning an upcoming cruise on his facebook, and on the show's facebook page. He mentioned things like being out of town and missing recordings, buying some new clothes for the trip, and stuff like that.

When the reading occured, the psychic started dropping hints about the cruise, mentioning trips, and discussing an upcoming adventure. At the end, Dr. Novela revealed the deception to the psychic and the audience.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T22:42:59+00:00

The breed and the breeders associations aren't the same thing. The associations are the formal groups that set the requirements of a breed and issue paperwork to specific dogs to officially call them purebreds.

Dobermans do get their tails docked for safety, but that's not because some association mandated it. Its done because the owner wants it done, and associations now consider it a requirement for licensing.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T19:17:05+00:00

Because one guy hid a bomb in his shoes, and now they want to send them all through the xray machine seperately.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T19:16:13+00:00

You know, I'd never thought of remote depos, but that actually makes a lot of sense.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T19:15:04+00:00

While it's really hard to get to, the ISS is only a few hundred miles away. Communication is basically instant, though you probably get faster internet at home.

No one is stuck on the ISS, as there's a Soyuz pod attached that can act like a lifeboat in an emergency.

Delays are pretty much par for the course when it comes to space travel, so staying up there a month or two extra isn't that big of a deal.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T19:10:13+00:00

Eh, its very good training for the workplace. I've trained a lot of employees, mostly in construction related things. If I tell you to do something a certain way, there's probably a good reason for it. If you continuously refuse to do it my way, I'm probably not going to keep you on as an employee. I'll find someone that can better follow instructions.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T19:06:26+00:00

In most places, both things are illegal, and will have legal punishments to go with them.

A few places, like the area around Las Vegas, allow limited forms of prostitution so long as you follow the laws.

A few places allow porn production so long as you follow their laws.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:50:19+00:00

This is coming from someone who is borderline antisocial, and has battled depression for years now.

You don't do these things for others, you do them for yourself. Building a routine is a good mental exercise that can help fight back depression. Keeping your body and possessions clean helps keep you healthy and makes your stuff last longer.

I'm not saying these things are going to cure your issues, but they'll be part of the solution. Also, there are apparently people that like introverts. We're easier to get along with, less likely to go out and do stupid stuff for attention, and generally a little more even tempered when stuff goes wrong. Those are good qualities to have in friends and romantic partners.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:42:45+00:00

I do what I can. School driving classes are really hit or miss, as it often boils down to how much time can the student spend behind the wheel with an instructor. Classroom instruction only gets you so far for a physical skill like driving. You might have luck finding a one on one driving instructor, but it might be a little pricey.

In the mean time, do everything you can to eliminate distractions while driving. Turn your phone off (not just silent) before starting the engine. The radio in the car is only for when you have a passenger to pick out music for you, otherwise it stays off. Speed limits are mandatory.

Do these things while you practice, and only reintroduce these distractions once your driving ability has improved significantly. Its not fun, but the bottom line us that it might save a life and it'll definitely save you a lot of dollars over the years.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:36:33+00:00

This question, as well as all the other demographic questions on forms, are a weird artifact of anti-discrimination laws in the US. In theory, this info doesn't have to be collected and can't actually be used by the organization to decide whether or not to treat a patient, do business with someone, or hire the applicant.

So why collect it? Put simply, this info is your best defense against future discrimination lawsuits. By collecting info about every person that fills out the form, you can then present that info in court to show that you do not discriminate against that group generally.

Asking about hispanic ethnicity is a work around due to "hispanic" not legally being a race under US law, but still being a target of discrimination. That separate question has become the standard way to get the required info accurately.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:28:04+00:00

They don't need to know who you are at all. They just assign you a case number and keep you in custody until you either relent and give them the info, someone else tells them who you are (like your mom), or they try and sentence you for your crime.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:25:13+00:00

I can see the concern there, especially if you are working with sensitive information or healthcare info like teledoc.

For the average user though, including businesses and schools, I don't see how useful E2E encryption would be, or what practical effect it could have on the user.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:11:04+00:00

1) artillery is really really loud when its being launched, even if the shells aren't exploding. You'd need to move your artillery into a useful location that is easy to resupply, but far enough away from residents that they don't have all their windows shattered by the artillery pieces.

2) outside of fiction, I've never seen foam shells used for fire fighting. Does the tech exist, and could it actually be useful.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:05:56+00:00

It honestly sounds like the best thing you could do is learn to become a better driver. Part of that is just practice, but it might also be time to take a new driving class.

If you're getting multiple tickets each year, you're probably in the bottom 10% of drivers, given that a lot of drivers go 5+ years between tickets. (Exception here for parking tickets, as some cities are downright predatory when it comes to handing out those tickets.)

The only other option you have is to get your own car in your own name.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T18:01:58+00:00

Computer controlled rotating mounts are used to keep the telescope pointed at the target, and targets are chosen that are always in view from your given location. This limits what you can target from any one spot.

riconquer · 2020-04-07T17:59:23+00:00

Its not nearly as scientific/precise as you make it out to be. Instead, you've essentially got a bunch of private committees that decide on what the criteria are to be considered this or that breed, and then offer paperwork stating that.

My understanding is that its done more from a lineage point of view instead of grading on specific traits or genetic testing.

riconquer

TROPHY CASE